shepherds hill park

Our Hidden Treasures

(by Enid Robertson, Patron of the Friends of Shepherds Hill)


The members of the Friends of Shepherds Hill Recreation Park are thrilled that as we have removed olives, boneseed and other nasties, we continue to discover a wonderful collection of little native plants that have been overshadowed and crowded out by the aggressive weeds. These little native plants – understorey plants – may be obvious for only a short period each year and remain dormant below ground for the rest of the time.

All our locally indigenous plants are important, but some due to their scarcity, are especially so. These are known as plants of conservation significance and are given special ratings to denote their particular conservation status.


Some plants have already become extinct in our region and we certainly do not want that to happen to any more.


At one of our earliest working bees, back in November 1999, we discovered by seeking out the source of a beautifully penetrating musk perfume, the pale flax lily Dianella longifolia – an exciting find. This lily has a Vulnerable rating. Since then we have discovered four other populations of this important plant in Shepherds Hill Park. (For a description of this Dianella see our newsletter No 3.)


Probably our most precious plant is the variable glycine, Glycine tabacina, a scrambling legume with small purple pea shaped flowers. This glycine enjoys hot spots – preferring to grow on north-west facing slopes and at the foot of rocky outcrops that get full sun. It is under constant threat not only from the competition with weeds and being overshadowed by olives but also from trampling feet and bike riders who unthinkingly create new bike tracks through their populations.


The Friends have plotted a map showing the distribution of the plants of conservation significance that we have already found in Shepherds Hill. We realised how many special areas we have. It is imperative we care for all of these. We know of sixteen (16) different species which have conservation ratings, three of them are native perennial grasses, e.g. red leg grass, Bothriochloa macra, which is threatened. Most of the others are also small plants. Below is a list of those we have found so far during our working bees and exploratory walks. Categories of conservation status codes are listed in order of decreasing conservation significance.

 

E - Endangered: rare and in danger of becoming extinct in the wild.

T - Threatened: likely to be either Endangered or Vulnerable but insufficient data for a more precise assessment.

V - Vulnerable: rare and at risk from potential threats or long term threats which could cause the species to become endangered in the future.

R - Rare: has a low overall frequency of occurrence (may be locally common with a very restricted distribution or may be scattered sparsely over a wider area). Not currently exposed to significant threats but warrants monitoring and protective measures to prevent reduction of population sizes.

U - Uncommon: less common species of interest but not rare enough to warrant special protective measures.


In addition to all these special plants, our own greybox grassy woodland is a ‘plant association’ of high conservation rating. Once widespread on the Adelaide Plains and in the Hills Face Zone, greybox woodland has been either totally cleared or much reduced in area to make way for grazing land, orchards, housing and roads.


tawny family 2011Here in Shepherds Hill we have one of the few remaining stands of ‘old growth’ greybox – original big trees, which have never been cut for timber. They have hollows in old limbs; hollows that are essential to our many hollow-nesting birds such as kookaburras, galahs and rosellas.


I am sure that as we continue with our working bees more treasures will be revealed.


For descriptions of Aristida behriana and Bothriochloa macra, I can recommend the book "Grass Identification Manual" by author Joan Gibbs and artist Rochelle Gibbs. This book is a pictorial guide to the recognition of native and exotic grasses in the Northern and Southern Lofty Botanical Regions of South Australia. This easy to follow book was available at the nursery in Belair National Park; I presume it still is.It is also available from the Native Grasses Resource Group (see Links on the Contact Us page).



Pittosporum phylliraeoides: Native Apricot
Small tree with weeping branches. Leaves narrow or oblong, pale green. Petals butter yellow. Fruit forms a hard, orange, egg shaped capsule which splits to reveal red sticky seeds. Flowers winter and spring.

(Drawing courtesy of Ann Prescott)


Hairy Heads plant

Ptilotus erubescens: Hairy Heads

Stems radiating out along the ground from woody centre. Leaves narrow. Flower clusters red or pink and densely covered with silvery hairs. Flowers spring and summer.

(Drawing courtesy of Ann Prescott)




Species Common Name Status State SA Status Region SL
Aristida behriana brush wire grass
U
Austrostipa elegantissima elegant spear grass
U
Bothriochloa macra red leg grass
T
Dianella longifolia pale flax lily
V
var. grandis - - -
Eucalyptus microcarpa grey box E U
Glycine tabacina variable glycine R E
Goodenia albiflora white goodenia - U
Goodenia pinnatifida scrambled eggs - U
Lavatera plebeia Australian hollyhock T U
Lotus australis Australian trefoil U U
Maireana enchylaenoides wingless fissure weed - U
Pittosporum phylliraeoides native apricot R R
var. microcarpa - - -
Pleurosorus rutifolius blanket fern - U
Ptilotus erubescens hairy heads - R
Velleia paradoxa spur velleia - U
Vittadinia blackii Western New Holland daisy - R

Locally Indigenous Native Species Found in the Park

Botanical Name

Common Name

Family

Acacia dodonaeifolia

Sticky Wattle

Leguminosae

Acacia paradoxa

Kangaroo Thorn

Leguminosae

Acacia pycnantha

Golden Wattle

Leguminosae

Acaena echinata

Sheeps Burr

Rosaceae

Allocasuarina verticillata

Drooping Sheoak

Casuarinaceae

Alternanthera denticulata

Lesser Joyweed

Amaranthaceae

Amyema miquelii

Box Mistletoe

Loranthaceae

Aristida behriana

Brush Wiregrass

Gramineae

Arthropodium strictum

Chocolate/Vanilla Lily

Liliaceae

Arthropodium fimbriatum

Nodding Chocolate Lily

Liliaceae

Astroloma humifusum

Native Cranberry

Epacridaceae

Austrodanthonia spp.

Wallaby Grasses

Gramineae

Austrostipa elegantissima

Elegant Spear-grass

Gramineae

Austrostipa scabra

Spear-grass

Gramineae

Bothriochloa macra

Redleg Grass

Gramineae

Bulbine bulbosa

Bulbine Lily (Native Leek)

Liliaceae

Bursaria spinosa

Christmas Bush

Pittosporaceae

Calostemma purpureum

Garland Lily

Amaryllidaceae

Carex bichenoviana

Strand Sedge

Cyperaceae

Carex breviculmis

Short-stem Sedge

Cyperaceae

Convolvulus angustissimus

Australian Bindweed

Convolvulaceae

Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia

Rock Fern

Adiantaceae

Crassula

 

Crassulaceae

Cyperus vaginatus

Flat Sedge

Cyperaceae

Dianella longifolia var. grandis

Pale Flax Lily

Liliaceae

Dianella revoluta

Black Anther Flax Lily

Liliaceae

Dodonaea viscosa ssp. spatulata

Sticky Hop Bush

Sapindaceae

Drosera spp.

Sun Dews

Droseraceae

Einadia nutans

Climbing Saltbush

Chenopodiaceae

Enchylaena tomentosa

Ruby Saltbush

Chenopodiaceae

Enneapogon nigricans

Black Heads

Gramineae

Epilobium hirtigerum

Hairy Willow-herb

Onagraceae

Eucalyptus camaldulensis

River Red Gum

Myrtaceae

Eucalyptus leucoxylon

S. Aust. Blue Gum

Myrtaceae

Eucalyptus microcarpa

Grey Box

Myrtaceae

Glycine rubiginosa

Twining Glycine

Leguminosae

Glycine tabacina

Variable Glycine

Leguminosae

Gonocarpus elatus

Hill Raspwort

Haloragaceae

Gonocarpus mezianus

Raspwort

Haloragaceae

Gonocarpus tetragynus

Small-leaf Raspwort

Haloragaceae

Goodenia albiflora

White Goodenia

Goodeniaceae

Goodenia pinnatifida

Scrambled Eggs

Goodeniaceae

Hardenbergia violacea

Native Lilac

Leguminosae

Juncus bufonius

Toad Rush

Juncaceae

Juncus subsecundus

Finger Rush

Juncaceae

Lomandra densiflora

Pointed Mat-rush

Liliaceae

Lomandra micrantha

Small-flower Mat-rush

Liliaceae

Lomandra nana

Small Mat-rush

Liliaceae

Lysiana exocarpi

Harlequin Mistletoe

Loranthaceae

Lythrum hyssopifolium

Lesser Loosestrife

Lythraceae

Maireana enchylaenoides

Wingless Fissure Weed

Chenopodiaceae

Malva behriana

Australian Hollyhock

Malvaceae

Muehlenbeckia gunnii

Coastal Lignum

Polygonaceae

Neurachne alopecuroidea

Foxtail Mulga Grass

Gramineae

Olearia ramulosa

Twiggy Daisy Bush

Compositae

Oxalis perennans

Native Oxalis

Oxalidaceae

Pelargonium litorale

Storks Bill

Geraniaceae

Pittosporum angustifolium

Native Apricot

Pittosporaceae

Pleurosorus rutifolius

Blanket Fern

Aspleniaceae

Poa

 

Gramineae

Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum

Cudweed

Compositae

Senecio quadridentatus

Cotton Fireweed

Compositae

Setaria jubiflora

Warrego Summer Grass

Gramineae

Stackhousia monogyna

Creamy Candles

Stackhousiaceae

Themeda triandra

Kangaroo Grass

Gramineae

Vittadinia blackii

Vittadinia

Compositae

Vittadinia cuneata

Fuzzweed

Compositae

Wahlenbergia luteola

Bluebell

Campanulaceae

Wahlenbergia stricta

Tall Bluebell

Campanulaceae


Extra Reading
Article about "Garland Lily"http://wp.me/p2Xem2-t4